Abstract Conjugated polymer‐based block copolymers (CP‐BCPs) are an unexplored class of materials for organic thermoelectrics. Herein, the authors report on the electronic conductivity (σ) and Seebeck coefficient (α) of a newly synthesized CP‐BCP, poly(3‐hexylthiophene)‐block‐poly (oligo‐oxyethylene methacrylate) (P3HT‐b‐POEM), upon solution co‐processing with lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI), and subsequently vapor‐doping with a molecular dopant, 2,3,5,6‐tetrafluoro‐7,7,8,8‐tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4TCNQ). It is found that the addition of the hydrophilic block POEM greatly enhances the processability of P3HT, enabling homogeneous solution‐mixing with LiTFSI. Notably, interactions between P3HT‐b‐POEM with ionic species significantly improve molecular order and unexpectedly cause electrical oxidizing doping of P3HT block both in solution and solid‐states, a phenomenon that has not been previously observed in Li‐salt containing P3HT. Vapor doping of P3HT‐b‐POEM‐LiTFSI thin films with F4TCNQ further enhances σ and yields a thermoelectric power factorPF=α2σ of 13.0 µW m−1 K−2, which is more than 20 times higher than salt‐free P3HT‐b‐POEM sample. Through modeling thermoelectric behaviors of P3HT‐b‐POEM with the Kang‐Snyder transport model, the improvement inPFis attributed to higher electronic charge mobility originating from the enhanced molecular ordering of P3HT. The results demonstrate that solution co‐processing CP‐BCPs with a salt is a powerful method to control structure and performance of organic thermoelectric materials. 
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                            A Thermoelectric Polymer Field-Effect Transistor via Iodine-Doped P3HT
                        
                    
    
            Doping can alter certain electronics, including the thermoelectric properties of an organic semiconductor. These alterations may enable viable tunable devices that could be useful in temperature sensing for autonomous controls. Here, we demonstrate a dual-modulation organic field-effect transistor (OFET) where temperature can modulate the current-voltage characteristics of the OFET and gate voltage can modulate the thermoelectric properties of the active layer in the same device. Specifically, Poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) was utilized as the host p-type semiconducting polymer, and iodine was utilized as the thermoelectric minority dopant. The finished devices were characterized with a semiconductor analyzer system with temperature controlled using two thermoelectric cooling plates. The FETs with iodine doping levels in the range of 0.25% to 0.5% mole ratio with respect to the P3HT exhibit the greatest on/off ratios. This study also observed that P3HT thin film samples with an intermediate iodine doping concentration of 0.25% mole ratio exhibit an optimal thermoelectric power factor (PF). 
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                            - Award ID(s):
- 2112595
- PAR ID:
- 10526024
- Publisher / Repository:
- MDPI
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Micromachines
- Volume:
- 15
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 2072-666X
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 172
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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